Automatic shut-off valve.



H. H.-SOUTHWORTH & G. GASE.

AUTOMATIC SHUT-0FF VALVE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY I3. 1914.

1 1 62,3 17. Patented Nov. 30, 1915.

2 SHjETS-SHEET I 177755555 7z 7z/E27f0r5 L M w. W

H. H. SOUTHWORTH & G. A. GASE.

AUTOMATIC SHUT-OFF VALVE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 13. 1914.

1.16%,31'7. Patented Nov. 30, 19.15.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

20 X19 7 2a 4 24 T 63 A rn'r 'FF1U+- HARRISON H. SOUTHWORTH AND GEORGE A. GASE, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOIRS, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE ICELESS MACHINE COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND,

OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

AUTOMATIC SHUT-OFF VALVE.

T 0 all whom it may concern.

Be it known that we, HARRISON H. SOUTH- WORTH and GEORGE A. GAsn, citizens of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Automatic Shut- Ofi' Valves, of which the following is a, full, clear, and exact description, reference be ing had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to a shut-01f valve adapted to be interposed in a passage for fluid leading to a receptacle and is adapted to control the flow. of such fluid to the receptacle being dependent for its operation on the relative pressures in the passage and within such receptacle. x

In the particular embodiment shown herein, our invention is adapted for use in connection with a refrigerating apparatus of a type described in the application of Harrison H. Southworth, No. 732,807, filed November 22, 1912. In this application is decribed a system in which practically all of the refrigerant is driven off from the generator-absorber to a condenser during the period of generation and all of the refrigerant passes from. the condenser through the refrigerating coils back to the generatorabsorber during the period of absorption. Our 'shut-ofi valve is preferably interposed in the passage leading from the condenser through the refrigerating coils to the absorber and is adapted to be controlled by the pressure in the generator-absorber, having a passage connecting it therewith.

An object of the invention is to provide such a valve which shall be entirely automatic and efiicient in its operation and which shall be simple in construction.

A feature of our valve is that any fluid leaking through or past the diaphragm will be conducted eventually to the receptacle, and other objects will become apparent in the following specification.

Our invention is hereinafter more described in connection with the drawings and the essential characteristicsare set forth in the claims.

Referring to the drawings: Figure 1 is a view representing in front elevation an absorption refrigerating apparatus of the type Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 30, 1915.

Application filed May 13, 1914. Serial No. 838,259.

described and its connections with an expansion or refrigerating coil located in the refrigerator. Fig. 2 is a plan view of our controlling valve. Fig. 3 is a section on the line 33 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is ahorizontal in a brine tank 16 and coiled about a freezing chamber 17 and a return pipe 14 leads from the coils to the generator-absorber.

-The' coils and brine tank are shown as sorber, but to prevent a back flow there-- from.

Connecting the discharge pipe from Our improved controlling valve indicated" at 21, iscontained in a. casing comprising two chambered shells 22 and 23-clamped togetherat their margins by suitable bolts 20 and embracing between them a suitable diaphragm 24. Centrally'located on the shell 23 is formed a boss 25, having a threaded reduced portion 26 adapted to be connected by a suitable coupling to a by-pass pipe 27, which is in turn connected to thexreturn pipe 14 at a point intermediate the check valve 19 and the generator-absorber. Slidably operating in an axial bore 31 in the boss '25, we have provided a guide 28, having aflat face abutting the diaphragm 24, the other face of which is substantially conical Interposed between this-side of the guide 2.8 and a. conical pointed adjusting screw- 30, threaded in the outer end of the bore 31, is provided a coiled spring 29 acting to depress the diaphragm. The adjuster screw 30 is provided with a slot 32, thereby allowing the pressure in the by-pass pipe 27 to be communicated past the set screw into the bore 31, past the guide 28 and so act against the upper face of the diaphragm 24. Thus the construction is such that the side of the diaphragm 24 next the shell 23 will be exposed to the pressure in the generator-ab sorber.

On the shell 22 is formed a boss 33 having an axial bore 34 adapted to contain the valve seat 35, in axial alinement with the b ire 31. The valve seat is provided with an o.1twardly extending flange adapted to bear against the end of a reduced portion 36 and is held in position by a collar 37, having an inwardly extending flange in engagement with the valve seat and having a threaded engagement with the reduced portion 36. The outer end of the valve seat is provided with threads whereby it may be connected by a suitable coupling to the pipe 13 leading from the condenser. The valve 41 operating in an enlarged upper portion of an axial passage 40 in the valve seat, is provided with a downwardly depending stem 42 having guides 43 grooved as at 44, to allow the liquid refrigerant to pass these guides. lnterposed between the lower end of the stem and the shoulder formed at the end of the enlarged portion of the passage 4Q, is shown a coiled compression spring 45 tending to raise the valve head 41 from its seat but having comparatively less strength than the spring 29.

To transmit the downward movement of the diaphragm 24 to the valve 41, thereby seating the same, there is provided a round pointed adjusting screw 50, engaging a conical depression in the valve head 41 and threaded into the center of a flange 51, which abuts the under side of the diaphragm 24 and bears over a major portion of its area. The collar 52, abutting the lower ,face of the flange and slidably engaging an upper reduced'portion of the axial bore 36, provides a guide for the screw 50. The bore 36 is"provided with a groove 54 to allow the liquid to pass this collar. A pipe 13 threaded into the lower shell 22 of the easing, communicates by means of the passage 56, with a chamber 55 formed between the casing 22 and the diaphragm 24. Thus it will be seen that the under side of the valve head 41 is at all times subject to the pressure of the liquid refrigerant in the condenser, but in addition when the valve is opened the pressure of the liquid is communicated to the chamber 55 and so acts on the side of the diaphgram next the shell 22.

The operation of ourshut-off valve is as follows: During the period when the generator-absorber is acting as a generator and the condenser is being cooled, it is necessary, in order to cause the vapor to enter the condenser, that the pressure in the generator be somewhat in excess of the condenser pressure. This pressure in the generator is transmitted through the by-pass pipe 27 to the upper side of the diaphragm 24 and in addition to the pressure of the spring 29 is suflicient to force the diaphragm 24 downward against the pressure in the condenser and close the valve 41 and hold it closed throughout the cycle of generation. At a predetermined degree of low saturation in the generator, the cycle of operation is reversed and the generator being cooled, acts as an absorber.

,At some point, the pressure in the generator-absorber is decreased to such an extent that the high pressure of the liquid refrigerant in the condenser, acting on the under side of the valve head 41 in addition to the pressure remaining in the chamber on the valve side of the diaphragm, is sufficient to open the valve, allowing the condenser pressure to be transmitted to the chamber 55 and act on the under side of the diaphragm 24 to retain the valve in an open position. The liquid refrigerant passing from the chamber 55 in the pipe 13 is carried to the refrigerating coils. During this cycle of operation, it is of course necessary that the pressure in the generator-absorber be considerably less than the pressure in the condenser. As shown we have provided a ball valve of the usual type, having the ball held in engagement with the seat 61 by means of a spring 62. The other end of this spring abuts a tubular collar 63, having a threaded engagement with the valve 61, whereby the spring may be adjusted. The action of this valve is to maintain a preponderance of pressure on the side of the diaphragm connnunicating with the passage 56 and the pipe 13. When the final operation changes from generation to absorption, lowering the pressure in the upper chamber of the valve, which pressure added to the pressure in the passage 40 acting upwardly on the valve plug 41, is sufficient to open the valve which is then held open as above described.

(hen all of the liquid refrigerant in the condenser is vaporized, the cycle of operation is again automatically changed and heat is again applied to the generator. As the generator is heated, the pressure therein rises and is exerted through the pipe 27 upon the diaphragm as before described, closing the valve 41. The action of the spring 44 is merely to cause the valve to follow the movement of the diaphragm.

It will be seen from the foregoing description that we have provided a simple, efiicient valve which will accomplish the purposes hereinbefore set forth and it will also be seen that we have provided avalve which when used in connection with the refrigerating machine which we have described, will act to automatically close during the period of generation and to automatically open during the period of absorption, thereby controlling the passage of the liquid refrigerant in synchronism with the cycle of operation of the refrigerating machine.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is:

1. A shut-off valve comprising a casing formed of two chambered members, a diaphragm between said members, a passage through one of the members leading to one side of the diaphragm, a valve head adapted to close said passage, connections between the valve head and the diaphragm, a spring acting in a direction to unseat the valve head, a passage through the opposite member leading to the other side of the diaphragm, a spring acting on the diaphragm in a direction to seat the valve, said passages and valve head being in axial alinement and centrally disposed with relation to the diaphragm, conduits connected respectively with said central passages, and a passage leading from the valve side of the diaphragm.

' 2. The combination of a casing, a diaphragm extending across the same, an opening into and out of the casing on one side of the diaphragm, a sleeve filling one of said openings and removably secured to the casing, a valve plug in the opening adapted to seat against an annular shoulder adjacent to the inner end of the sleeve, a distance piece between the inner end of the valve plug and the diaphragm, a spring within the sleeve maintaining the valve plug in contact with the distance piece, and a stronger spring on the opposite side of the diaphragm tending to seat the valve 3. A shut-off valve comprising a casing formed of two chambered members, a diaphragm having its periphery secured between said members, a valve seat member carried by one of the members mentioned, a passage through said seat member, a valve head adapted to close said seat, a disk abutting the under side of the diaphragm, a member carried by said disk abutting the valve head, a spring within said valve seat member adapted to press the valve head upwardly and tending to open the same, a passage leading from the valve side of the diaphragm to the exterior'of the casing, a passage on the opposite side of the diaphragm, and a spring in the last mentioned passage acting downwardly on the diaphragm.

4. The combination of a casing, a diaphragm extending across the same, an opening into the casing on one side of the diaphragm, a sleeve occupying said opening and 'removably secured to the casing, a valve plug in the opening adapted to seat against an annular shoulder adjacent to the inner end of the sleeve, a distance piece between the inner end of the valve plug and the diaphragm bearing loosely against the plug, a spring within the sleeve' maintaining the valve plug in contact with the distance piece, and an exit passageway from the same side of the diaphragm.

In testimony whereof, we hereunto afiix our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

HARRISON H. soUTHwoRTH. GEO. A. sass.

Witnesses:

THOS. H; WELLS, JUSTIN W. MACKLIN. 

